When the stakes are raised in a film, the consequences of failure for the protagonist become greater. Raising the stakes results in greater conflict. This will make the audience want to know what happens next.
In John Sturges’ Joe Kidd, Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall) hires Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood) to track Luis Chama (John Saxon). In the first half of the film, Harlan and Kidd are dual protagonists, and Chama, the Mexican revolutionary, is the antagonist.
The stakes are raised at the film’s midpoint (44 minutes). When Harlan learns that Chama is hiding in the mountains, he threatens to shoot five people if Chama doesn’t come down by sunrise.
The possible killing of civilians increases the tension and creates an active question for the viewer: Will Harlan shoot anyone or is he bluffing? Harlan’s shocking threat forces the protagonist, Kidd, to act. He goes to war against Harlan’s men, killing them one by one.
When the stakes are raised by Harlan, the battle lines are re-drawn. After Harlan’s threat, he becomes the main antagonist, and Kidd is now his enemy. This is a turning point in the screenplay, shifting the plot in a new direction and keeping the audience in suspense.
