Command Decision

A retired pilot's desperate quest for truth leads him to hijack a flight, exposing systemic failures in healthcare while battling his own demons.

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Overview

Poster
Unique Selling Point

The screenplay stands out for its emotional depth and unique premise of a pilot hijacking his own plane to expose a cover-up, blending personal tragedy with high-stakes drama.

AI Verdict & Suggestions

Ratings are subjective. So you get different engines’ ratings to compare.

GPT4
 Recommend
Gemini
 Consider
Claude
 Recommend
DeepSeek
 Recommend
Average Score: 7.9
Key Suggestions
To enhance the screenplay, focus on tightening the pacing, particularly during exposition-heavy scenes, and ensure that secondary characters have well-defined motivations and arcs. This will not only improve the overall flow but also deepen the emotional impact of the narrative, making it more engaging for the audience.
Story Facts

Genres: Drama, Thriller, Adventure, Character Study, Action, Political, Political Thriller, Sports, Mystery

Setting: Contemporary, set in the present day, Primarily in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Trident Airways Flight 721, and various locations in Atlanta and New York City

Themes: Grief and Loss, Sacrifice, Media Responsibility, Family and Connection, Justice and Accountability, Isolation and Alienation

Conflict & Stakes: Cole's internal struggle with grief and guilt over his wife's death leads him to take drastic actions that endanger the flight and its passengers, while also seeking to expose a healthcare crisis that affected his family.

Mood: Tense and somber, with moments of reflection and urgency.

Standout Features:

  • Unique Hook: The protagonist, a pilot, takes drastic actions during a flight to expose a healthcare crisis, blending personal and societal stakes.
  • Plot Twist: Cole's actions lead to unexpected consequences that put both his life and the lives of his passengers at risk, culminating in a dramatic climax.
  • Distinctive Setting: The story unfolds in various high-pressure environments, including an aircraft cockpit, an airport operations center, and a newsroom, enhancing the tension.
  • Innovative Ideas: The screenplay tackles the intersection of personal tragedy and systemic healthcare failures, making it socially relevant.

Comparable Scripts: Flight, Sully, The Terminal, The Aviator, United 93, The Flight Attendant, Cast Away, The Good Doctor, The Pursuit of Happyness

Script Level Analysis

This section delivers a top-level assessment of the screenplay’s strengths and weaknesses — covering overall quality (P/C/R/HR), character development, emotional impact, thematic depth, narrative inconsistencies, and the story’s core philosophical conflict. It helps identify what’s resonating, what needs refinement, and how the script aligns with professional standards.

Screenplay Insights

Breaks down your script along various categories.

Overall Score: 7.65
To enhance the screenplay 'Command Decision', focus on deepening the backstories and emotional arcs of supporting characters like Jill and Anna. This will create a richer emotional tapestry and foster greater audience empathy. Additionally, refining the integration of themes related to accountability and media responsibility will strengthen the narrative's impact and coherence.
Story Critique

Big-picture feedback on the story’s clarity, stakes, cohesion, and engagement.

To enhance the screenplay, focus on refining character arcs, particularly for supporting characters like Jill and Anna, to provide them with more depth and agency. This will create richer interactions and emotional resonance, making the narrative more compelling. Additionally, consider tightening the pacing throughout the script to maintain audience engagement and ensure that each scene contributes meaningfully to character development and plot progression.
Characters

Explores the depth, clarity, and arc of the main and supporting characters.

To enhance the emotional depth and complexity of the characters, particularly Cole, it is crucial to explore their backstories and internal conflicts more thoroughly. This will not only deepen the audience's connection to the characters but also elevate the stakes of the narrative. Additionally, incorporating more moments of vulnerability and hesitation in Cole's decision-making process can create a more relatable and compelling protagonist.
Emotional Analysis

Breaks down the emotional journey of the audience across the script.

Goals and Philosophical Conflict

Evaluates character motivations, obstacles, and sources of tension throughout the plot.

To enhance the script, focus on deepening the protagonist's internal conflict and emotional journey. By exploring Cole's grief and guilt more vividly, you can create a stronger connection with the audience. Additionally, consider refining the dialogue to better reflect the philosophical conflicts at play, particularly the tension between truth and secrecy, which can elevate the thematic depth of the narrative.
Themes

Analysis of the themes of the screenplay and how well they’re expressed.

To enhance the script, consider deepening the emotional arcs of secondary characters, particularly the passengers and crew, to create a more robust sense of community and shared stakes during the crisis. This could amplify the themes of family and connection, making Cole's journey resonate more profoundly with the audience. Additionally, refining the dialogue to reflect the urgency and gravity of the situation can heighten tension and engagement throughout the narrative.
Logic & Inconsistencies

Highlights any contradictions, plot holes, or logic gaps that may confuse viewers.

To enhance the script's emotional impact and coherence, focus on refining character arcs, particularly Cole Harrison's, to ensure his transitions between states of mind are believable and gradual. Additionally, clarify the conspiracy elements surrounding healthcare to avoid confusion and strengthen the narrative's stakes. Streamlining repetitive emotional cues and excessive technical details will also help maintain audience engagement and pacing.

Scene Analysis

All of your scenes analyzed individually and compared, so you can zero in on what to improve.

Scene-Level Percentile Chart
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Other Analyses

This section looks at the extra spark — your story’s voice, style, world, and the moments that really stick. These insights might not change the bones of the script, but they can make it more original, more immersive, and way more memorable. It’s where things get fun, weird, and wonderfully you.

Unique Voice

Assesses the distinctiveness and personality of the writer's voice.

To enhance the script, consider deepening the emotional connections between characters and expanding on their backstories. This will allow for a richer exploration of themes such as grief and redemption, making the characters' journeys more relatable and impactful. Additionally, incorporating more vivid imagery and sensory details can elevate the emotional resonance of key scenes, drawing the audience further into the narrative.
Writer's Craft

Analyzes the writing to help the writer be aware of their skill and improve.

To enhance the screenplay, the writer should focus on refining dialogue, pacing, and character development. By deepening character interactions and motivations, the emotional depth of the narrative can be significantly improved, making the story more relatable and impactful for the audience. Engaging in targeted exercises will help sharpen these skills and elevate the overall quality of the script.
Memorable Lines

Spotlights standout dialogue lines with emotional or thematic power.

The script effectively captures the emotional turmoil of the protagonist, Cole, particularly through his interactions and memorable lines that resonate with themes of loss and accountability. To enhance the script, consider deepening the character arcs of supporting roles, such as Emily and the flight attendants, to create a more layered narrative. Additionally, integrating more moments of levity amidst the tension could provide a necessary balance, making the emotional stakes even more impactful.
Tropes
Highlights common or genre-specific tropes found in the script.
World Building

Evaluates the depth, consistency, and immersion of the story's world.

To enhance the screenplay, consider deepening character development by exploring the emotional complexities of Captain Cole Harrison and other key figures. This could involve more flashbacks or internal monologues that reveal their motivations and struggles, particularly in relation to the themes of loss and sacrifice. Additionally, refining dialogue to reflect the high-stakes environment and emotional weight of the narrative can create a more immersive experience for the audience.
Correlations

Identifies patterns in scene scores.

To enhance the emotional resonance of the script, consider infusing reflective scenes with more emotional weight. While high-stakes and tense moments are effectively crafted, reflective scenes tend to score lower in emotional impact. Balancing these elements can create a more cohesive narrative that maintains audience engagement throughout.
Loglines
Presents logline variations based on theme, genre, and hook.