Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or her swag? Yeah, scholar Joseph Campbell noticed first—in 1949. He wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in which he outlined the 17 stages of a mythological hero's journey.

About half a century later, Christopher Vogler condensed those stages down to 12 in an attempt to show Hollywood how every story ever written should—and, uh, does—follow Campbell's pattern. We're working with those 12 stages, so take a look. (P.S. Want more? We have an entire Online Course devoted to the hero's journey.)

Ordinary World

Kansas, 1880. William Munny, a once-infamous outlaw and man of ill repute, is now a not-so successful farmer. He has hard time dealing with his pigs, and he looks like a total mess. Why would he want to keep this life?

Call To Adventure

Luckily for Will, a loudmouth boy—called the Schofield Kid—comes along and tells him about a $1,000 bounty being offered to whomever kills two abusive cowboys.

Refusal Of The Call

Will thinks about it, but declines, claiming that he "ain't like that no more." It looks like he could use the money, but he refuses nonetheless.

Meeting The Mentor

Will doesn't really have a mentor, per se. He looks at a picture of his wife, who is sort of like the anti-mentor (in that she would not approve of his going off on another killing). If there's a mentor in this film, it's Will Munny's former self, the guy Munny is more comfortable being.

Crossing The Threshold

Will cleans up really nice, saddles up, and heads off to grab his friend Ned Logan and join up with the Kid in order to kill the cowboys.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Will and his pals bump up against the very real threat of Little Bill Daggett, sheriff of Big Whiskey and a ruthless enforcer if there ever was one. While he has the help of Strawberry Alice & Co., it's still a rough road. Will's savagely beaten by Bill and almost dies.

Approach To The Inmost Cave

After recovering from his sickness, Will is ready to participate in the killing of the two cowboys.

Ordeal

Will first has to finish killing Davey—Ned doesn't have the heart to do so. Then he has to deal with Ned leaving, and the pain of learning that Little Bill has killed Ned.

Reward (Seizing The Sword)

Will collects the money from one of the women, but we suspect that while this is the primary reward, the real reward for Will is Little Bill's life.

The Road Back

The road back, in this case, really is a road back for Will—to his old life as a cold-hearted gunfighter. Once Will starts drinking whiskey again (which he declines to partake in for almost the entire film), we know Will is on his way "back," so to speak. We also know he's on his way back once he enters Big Whiskey with a chip on his shoulder, as of old.

Resurrection

Will's resurrection is really an anti-resurrection. He reclaims his old persona once he enters Greely's and takes care of Skinny. The Will who was just doing a job for money is now the vengeful, mean, kill-anybody-in-my-way gunfighter he used to be. His killing of Little Bill seals the deal, so to speak.

Return With The Elixir

Will leaves Big Whiskey a richer man, but fundamentally poorer—he's proven that he has not been rehabilitated. It is, however, suggested that he moved to San Francisco and finally lived a normal, non-violent life as a trader in dry goods.