The saying that directors "only tell one story" doesn't seem to apply to Stanley Kubrick. From Dr. Strangelove to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Killing to Barry Lyndon, his filmography is uniquely diverse.
If one story thread runs across these films it would be Kubrick's approach to characters. With few exceptions, his films focus on story more than the characters themselves. This is especially apparent in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove, and The Killing, where the characters are chess pieces for Kubrick to convey feelings and ideas with.
As the narrator in The Killing describes,"Johnny Clay, perhaps the most important thread in the unfinished fabric, furthered its design."
While The Killing follows the three-act structure to a tee, it is absent of any traditional approach to characterization.
In the first act of the film, we are introduced to a diverse cast of characters, from George Peatty to Mike O'Reilly. Nearly every scene in the first fifteen minutes of the film introduces a new character or plot point. This slew of first-act exposition is common, but the lack of a central protagonist is not. In fact, the only thing tying the various story threads together is the omniscient narrator.
The next major plot point in the traditional three-act structure is the inciting incident. However, without a central protagonist to follow, The Killing transitions to rising action in a different way. This occurs when Sherry Peaty tells Van Cannon about the plot to rob the track. The scheme is well underway by the time the film begins, so this inciting incident is introducing a third party to the traditional narrative of a heist movie. Genre films like this often fall risk to the audience becoming passive as they watch the story beats of a heist unfold. However, the introduction of Van Cannon gives the audience an active interest in the plot.
Likewise, this inciting incident creates tension between the crew of the robbery and George, as well as George and his wife. This is more in line with a traditional inciting incident, as it kicks off the conflict which will encompass the second act. As NYU professor Alex Warren says,"All Drama is Conflict." Kubrick's genius is that he is able to craft an inciting incident which touches every major character in the story while still advancing the narrative.
The second act of the film unfolds as the characters plan, and ultimately perform, the climatic robbery. Kubrick weaves through several plot threads, bouncing between characters and timelines. The film's rising action is found in the development of the heist, not in the development of any one character.
Kubrick abandons any idea of the "hero's journey," instead focusing on telling the story of the robbery. This unique story structure reflects the subject matter of the film. In a robbery, no one person is the "main character." Everyone plays a critical role, and are often oblivious to the full picture of the scheme. As Johnny Clay says,"Five thousand bucks is a lot of dough, and that's what I'm paying you for, so nobody has to know my business."
And then, with the conclusion of the film, Kubrick is able to return to the three-act structure. Van Cannon, the "third party conflict," derails the plan of the robbery while realigning the narrative as a whole. Storming into an apartment, he guns down nearly the entire cast of the robbery, leaving only Johnny and George alive. Escaping with the money, Johnny is now the "main character."
The falling action and denouement of the story unfold at the airport. As the mastermind behind the robbery, Johnny embodies the heist. This allows Kubrick to balance the plot-driven story structure prevalent in the first two acts with a traditional character arc.
Finally, the carefully planned heist unravels. Johnny's suitcase spills millions of dollars of money onto the runway, while two police officers arrest him. The heist has failed, and Johnny is resigned to his fate.
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