Character Relationship Map: Impasse

Characters

• Pat Morrison (played by Burt Reynolds) — protagonist

  Pat Morrison runs a shady salvage operation in Manila and organizes a search for gold bars hidden during World War II. He recruits former soldiers who know where the gold is, rescues Trev Jones, and f...

• Hansen (played by Lyle Bettger) — supporting

  Hansen is a bigoted former soldier whose knowledge is needed for Morrison's search for the gold. Morrison and his companions break him out of a Filipino jail so he can join the effort. After the group...

• Wombat (played by Jeff Corey) — supporting

  Wombat abducts Trev Jones, a veteran with a heart condition. Pat Morrison rescues Trev from Wombat, and Trev then helps Morrison and the others work out the gold's exact location in the Malinta Tunnel...

• Draco (played by Rodolfo Acosta) — supporting

  Draco is a hard-drinking, hot-tempered Apache former soldier living on an Indian reservation. He responds to Morrison's telegram by promising to find his wartime lover, Maria Bonita, and joins the sea...

• Mariko (played by Miko Mayama) — supporting

  Mariko is Jesus's Japanese wife and is sleeping with Pat Morrison, a fact Jesus discovers and confronts him about. Jealous of Morrison, she tips the authorities off to the group's plan after the gold...

• Trev Jones (played by Clarke Gordon) — supporting

  Trev Jones is a veteran with a heart condition and the father of Bobby Jones. After Wombat abducts him, Pat Morrison rescues him. Trev helps Morrison and the others determine the exact location of the...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Pat Morrison → Mariko (Romantic Lovers) — Their affair creates a personal and strategic complication for the expedition.

  Pat Morrison is sleeping with Mariko, despite her marriage to Pat's associate.

• Wombat → Trev Jones (Power Captor) — Wombat exercises direct coercive control over Trev during the abduction.

  The plot states that Trev Jones is abducted by Wombat before Pat Morrison rescues him.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Draco → Wombat (Conflict Opposing Participants) — They belong to opposing forces during the mission's escalation.

  Draco participates in the recovery group while Wombat abducts Trev, creating opposition between their sides.

• Hansen → Trev Jones (Social Former Soldiers) — Their shared military past connects them to the central treasure mystery.

  The plot identifies Hansen and Trev Jones as former soldiers whose wartime experience is relevant to locating the hidden gold.

• Draco → Trev Jones (Alliance Mission Teammates) — Both contribute to the shared effort to locate and recover the gold.

  Draco joins the operation, while Trev's information helps the group identify the gold's location in the Malinta Tunnel.

• Draco → Hansen (Alliance Expedition Teammates) — They cooperate within Pat's dangerous recovery operation.

  Draco and Hansen are both part of the group that breaks out of the Filipino jail and later retrieves the gold.

• Pat Morrison → Wombat (Conflict Adversary) — Their opposition is defined by Wombat's abduction and Pat's intervention.

  Wombat abducts Trev Jones, while Pat Morrison rescues Trev from him.

• Pat Morrison → Trev Jones (Alliance Rescuer And Informant) — Pat saves Trev and then uses his knowledge to advance the mission.

  Pat rescues Trev Jones after Wombat abducts him, and Trev's help allows the group to determine the gold's exact location.

• Pat Morrison → Hansen (Alliance Forced Teammate) — Hansen becomes an unwilling but necessary member of the recovery team.

  Pat Morrison and the others break Hansen out of a Filipino jail because his wartime knowledge is needed to find the gold.

• Pat Morrison → Draco (Alliance Business Associate) — Pat relies on Draco as a capable associate in the gold-recovery operation.

  Draco answers Pat Morrison's telegram and joins the effort to locate the hidden wartime gold.

Story Analysis

A risky gold-recovery mission collapses under military resistance, personal betrayal, and the protagonist's inevitable arrest.

Plot Progression

1. The Gold Scheme — Pat Morrison organizes a Manila salvage operation around three million dollars in hidden wartime gold. He contacts Draco and begins assembling the knowledge required for the search.
2. The Reluctant Team — Pat and Draco break Hansen out of a Filipino jail to obtain another veteran's knowledge. At the same time, Draco's search for his former lover ends in disappointment.
3. Clues and Complications — Pat rescues Trev Jones from Wombat, and Trev's assistance reveals the gold's location in the Malinta Tunnel. Pat's affair with Mariko adds a dangerous personal complication.
4. The Tunnel Recovery — The group reaches Corregidor, locates the gold in the Malinta Tunnel, and retrieves it successfully. Their success immediately brings them into conflict with Philippine military forces.
5. Betrayal and Arrest — A gunfight kills Hansen and wounds Draco while the group faces military resistance. Pat's escape fails after Mariko's betrayal is revealed, ending with his arrest at the airport.