In some sense, the theme is forgiveness for one’s past. This is Creasy’s dramatic problem. Creasy (the protagonist) starts the firm believing he can’t be forgiven (the anti-theme).
The story follows Creasy, a man hired to protect a young girl, Pinta. Creasy has flaws: he’s an alcoholic and suicidal, feeling guilty about the things he did years ago when he worked as a CIA operative. However, cheerful Pinta gives his life a sense of purpose.
In relation to the theme, Creasy sees Pinta as his path to the forgiveness he seeks, almost in a (christian) Jesus-like way as someone who will “wash away” the sins he committed as a mercenary. To emphasize the judeo-christian aspect, the script (omitted in the film version) even has the following VO from Creasy:
Ezekiel 25:17 Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.
Pinta’s parents are Lisa (mom, American) and Samuel (dad, Mexican), a couple in their 30s. Samuel’s lawyer, Jordan, tells him that he must get a bodyguard for Pinta in order for her to be driven to school in Mexico City (this is due to the spate of child kidnappings and the fact they, as rich parents, must have “kidnapping insurance” for Pinta). Creasy arrives in Mexico City to visit his old friend Rayburn. Rayburn is living in comparative luxury. Through a connection with Jordan, Rayburn offers Creasy a job as Pinta’s bodyguard. Creasy accepts, taking a bedroom in the Pinta’s family mansion in downtown Mexico City.
This is perhaps the inciting incident which starts Creasy on his journey. We are now into act 2.
Creasy soon becomes depressed, continues to drink in his room after work, and one night (drunk) he tries to kill himself. However, his gun misfires and the primer doesn’t discharge. Creasy calls Rayburn, asking if he’d ever seen something like this happen. Pinta watches him call Rayburn. Rayburn says “The bullet never lies” (a similar line is in the script, on page 32). To Creasy, it’s a sign.
This freak accident changes his attitude and he accepts the friendship (and potential forgiveness) of Pinta. He helps her with her schoolwork, helps her train for her swimming competition, and becomes devoted to her protection. As a nun at her private Catholic school says, he’s her surrogate father. There’s even a scene, one that seems minor at first glance, where Pinta’s parents are out-of-town and Creasy shares a dinner with Pinta and Rayburn and his family. It shows Creasy as a man with a family. He’s happy.
Then she’s kidnapped, during which time he is shot twice (almost killing him). This is the midpoint twist. Creasy now has lost the one person that can forgive his past sins. He reverts to his old ways and decides to kill everyone involved, especially the kidnapper (a man referred to as “The Voice”, later as Daniel).It turns out Pinta’s father and lawyer were both involved in the kidnapping scheme.
He (barely) recovers, gathers intel (sometimes by graphic tourture), and weapons helped by Rayburn and his money and connections. During one of the intell-gathering torture sessions, he finds one of the kidnapped girls alive. He thinks for a moment she’s Pinta. (This is on page 94 of the script). Not her, but this gives him a new sense of hope.
In some sense, this hope points a way for Creasy to possibly solve his dramatic problem - forgiveness. This is another turning point, and the start of act 3.
He finds where the brother and ex-wife of the kidnapper live and kidnaps them. Then he learns Pinta is still alive.
Now his path to forgiveness is (possibly) restored. Creasy offers to trade the brother’s life for Pinta. The kidnapper, The Voice, counters: Pinta’s life for Creasy’s. Creasy accepts, calls Lisa and tells her Pinta is alive. Now Creasy accepts the theme of the film, that he can be forgiven.
He relays instructions of where she should meet him (somewhere far out in the Mexican countryside). There, Pinta is released to Lisa and Creasy, finally forgiven, walks to accept his fate in the hands of Daniel/The Voice.
