Character Relationship Map: Shoot 'Em Up

Characters

• Smith (played by Clive Owen) — protagonist

  A highly skilled ex-black-ops drifter and carrot enthusiast. He rescues a pregnant woman, delivers her baby during a shootout, and becomes its protector against a ruthless assassin. He uncovers a cons...

• Hertz (played by Paul Giamatti) — protagonist

  A ruthless and heavily armed hitman hired to assassinate a newborn baby. He leads a team of thugs, survives an initial encounter due to a bulletproof vest, and later tortures both Donna and Smith to f...

• Donna Quintano (played by Monica Bellucci) — supporting

  A prostitute who temporarily shelters the newborn. She is tortured by the antagonist but rescued by Smith. She joins Smith and the baby, shares an intimate relationship with him, and helps evade pursu...

• Hammerson (played by Stephen McHattie) — supporting

  An arms manufacturer and the owner of the Hammerson factory. He collaborates with Hertz to protect constitutional gun rights by manipulating a presidential election and securing a bone marrow match fo...

• Baby Oliver (played by Sidney Mende-Gibson) — supporting
• Baby's Mother (played by Ramona Pringle) — supporting

  A pregnant woman fleeing an assassin who goes into labor during a shootout. She is shot dead by the antagonist, and her newborn son is taken in by Smith, who later deduces she frequented a heavy metal...

• Senator Rutledge (played by Daniel Pilon) — supporting

  A Democratic presidential candidate advocating for stricter gun laws who suffers from cancer. He requires a bone marrow transplant, making the newborn a potential donor. He secretly collaborates with...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Baby's Mother → Baby Oliver (mother)
• Smith → Senator Rutledge (Power Hostage Taker) — Smith gains temporary control over the senator.

  After meeting Rutledge on an airplane, Smith takes him hostage and moves him to the cargo hold.

Story Dynamics

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

• Donna Quintano → Hammerson (Conflict Enemy's Target) — Hammerson's conspiracy places Donna in continuing danger.

  Donna becomes endangered because she shelters the newborn and remains with Smith while Hammerson's forces pursue them.

• Hertz → Donna Quintano (Conflict Torturer) — Hertz uses violence to obtain information from Donna.

  Hertz arrives at the brothel and tortures Donna for information about Smith and the newborn.

• Senator Rutledge → Hertz (Alliance Secret Beneficiary) — Rutledge benefits directly from Hertz's violent actions.

  Hertz helps protect the donor operation because it is intended to provide Rutledge with a matching bone-marrow transplant.

• Senator Rutledge → Hammerson (Alliance Political Bargaining Partner) — Rutledge and Hammerson exchange political protection for medical assistance.

  Hammerson and Hertz reveal that they agreed to help Rutledge find a bone-marrow donor in exchange for protecting gun rights.

• Hammerson → Hertz (Alliance Operational Partner) — They coordinate the conspiracy's political and violent operations.

  Hammerson and Hertz work together to manipulate the presidential situation and secure a bone-marrow donor for Senator Rutledge.

• Smith → Hammerson (Conflict Conspiratorial Opponent) — Smith opposes Hammerson's arms-related conspiracy.

  Smith discovers Hammerson speaking with Hertz about opposing proposed gun-control policies and protecting their political interests.

• Smith → Donna Quintano (Alliance Rescuer) — Smith becomes Donna's protector during the escape.

  Smith returns to the brothel, kills Hertz's henchmen, and leaves with Donna after rescuing her from torture.

• Smith → Hertz (Conflict Arch Enemy) — Their escalating conflict drives the film's central action.

  Hertz leads repeated attempts to kill the newborn, while Smith repeatedly defeats his forces and ultimately kills him.

Story Analysis

A drifter protects a newborn while uncovering a violent conspiracy linking an arms manufacturer, an assassin, and a presidential candidate.

Plot Progression

1. A Carrot Against the Hitmen — Smith rescues a fleeing pregnant woman and delivers her baby during a gunfight. After the mother dies, he becomes the newborn's protector when Hertz begins hunting them.
2. Brothel of Broken Alliances — Smith seeks Donna's help, but Hertz tortures her at the brothel. Smith rescues her, survives Hertz's bulletproof vest, and discovers that heavy metal music calms the newborn.
3. The Donor Factory — Smith and Donna investigate a heavy metal club and uncover an artificial insemination facility holding medical equipment and sperm samples. They escape professional cleaners and survive a hotel gun at...
4. Guns, Politics, and Blood — Smith hides Donna and the newborn in a museum tank, infiltrates Hammerson's factory, and learns of the gun-rights conspiracy. He connects the donor operation to Senator Rutledge's cancer and political...
5. The Mansion's Last Stand — Smith kills Rutledge on an airplane, survives a parachute pursuit, and is tortured by Hertz. He escapes, kills Hammerson and Hertz, then reunites with Donna at an ice cream parlor.