Character Relationship Map: Loose Cannons

Characters

• Ellis Fielding (played by Dan Aykroyd) — supporting

  Metropolitan Police officer partnered with Mac. He suffers from dissociative identity disorder triggered by violence, temporarily adopting pop culture personas. Despite his fears of losing control, he...

• Smiley (played by Ronny Cox) — supporting

  FBI agent tasked with protecting Von Metz and intercepting the incriminating film before it goes public. He leads a pursuit team that is outsmarted by Mac and Ellis at Washington's Union Station, sett...

• Von Metz (played by Robert Prosky) — supporting

  Former German officer and West German chancellor candidate who orchestrated the murders of anyone who witnessed a film depicting him assisting Hitler. He is the central target of the investigation, ul...

• Riva (played by Nancy Travis) — supporting

  Mossad agent assigned to the Israeli Embassy who leads a separate surveillance team tracking Mac and Ellis. She arrives at Grand Central Terminal to receive the film from Mac, successfully screening i...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Smiley → Von Metz (Professional Protective Agent) — Smiley acts professionally to protect Von Metz and suppress evidence against him.

  Smiley is tasked with shielding Von Metz from embarrassment by intercepting the film before it becomes public.

Story Dynamics

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

• Riva → Von Metz (Conflict Political Opponent) — Riva works to publicly undermine Von Metz's political ambitions.

  Riva receives the film and has it screened during Von Metz's speech, exposing the evidence against him.

• Riva → Ellis Fielding (Alliance Cooperating Pursuer) — Their relationship shifts from surveillance and competition to practical cooperation.

  Riva leads a separate surveillance team tracking Ellis and his police partner, but later receives the film from them at Grand Central Terminal.

• Ellis Fielding → Von Metz (Narrative Investigator And Target) — Ellis belongs to the investigation pursuing the central political target.

  Ellis is sent to investigate murders connected to a film showing Von Metz assisting a former dictator during a suicide.

• Ellis Fielding → Smiley (Conflict Adversary) — Ellis is opposed by Smiley's effort to seize the film and protect the political conspiracy.

  Smiley leads an FBI team pursuing Ellis and his police partner to intercept the incriminating film. Ellis helps deceive Smiley at Washington's Union S...

Story Analysis

A police investigation pursues political murder and suppressed evidence while Ellis struggles to remain in control and reclaim his courage.

Plot Progression

1. The Buried Evidence — A film threatens Von Metz's political future because it connects him to a former dictator's suicide. Murders begin when he tries to eliminate everyone who has seen it.
2. The Unstable Investigator — Ellis investigates the Washington killings while violence repeatedly triggers his dissociative episodes. A lead sends the investigation toward New York.
3. The Train Escape — Smiley's FBI team attempts to intercept the film at Union Station. Ellis's side deceives the agents, but Riva's surveillance team is soon revealed.
4. Fire Over the Tracks — Nazi sympathizers attack the train by helicopter, forcing Ellis and his companions into a river. During the journey onward, Ellis confronts his fear of relapse.
5. Exposure at Grand Central — The film is recovered from a Grand Central locker and transferred to Riva during a gunfight. Its public screening interrupts Von Metz's speech and exposes him.