Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

I'm talking about films in which one character is the reason things are happening, but that character is not in the movie for that much time, or is not a main character.

I was thinking of this earlier when watching The Hangover. The groom is "the main focus" of the whole weekend, but is not in the movie that long.

Saving Private Ryan is sort of a case of this, although he was focused on during the course of the film if I recall correctly (it's been a while).

So I'm just wondering about movies in which a character is the focus of a certain series of events, but is not featured in the movie as a prominent character.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Terminator 4 focused mainly on Marcus leaving John Connor & Kyle Reese more as side characters.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

I'm guessing there are a ton of horror/serial killer movies like this...where the bad guy doesn't show up on screen until about 20 minutes left in the film.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

The Wizard of Oz.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Now that I'm thinking about this more...The Third Man comes to mind.

I'm now wondering if this could also involve characters that happen to be MacGuffins.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Perhaps I'm stretching it here w/ Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs?

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

The Invisible Man - you don't see much of him in the movie :rimshot:

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

In The Mood For Love (though I'm cheating a little, since it's two characters)

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
The Usual Suspects
The Searchers

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

You could say UP, since the character of Ellie, Carl's late wife, drives much of the plot even though she's not technically "in" the film after the first ten minutes, except in spirit.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

The Lord of the Rings

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Children of Men

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Big Trouble in Little China

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Kill Bill parts 1 and 2.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

The Beatles - I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Apocalypse Now

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Considering the ending, I fail to see how this one qualifies.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Alfred Hithcock's - The Trouble with Harry

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

The prime example of this has got to be JFK.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

<b>REBECCA</b>

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Waiting for Guffman

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

The Big Chill -- everything centers around Kevin Costner's character, yet he's only barely in the film.

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

Seabiscuit (the horse)?

Re: Movies in which a "plot centric" character is not a main charcacter?
 

L'avventura